I came to Japan from Fiji on August 28 last year. Before I came, I had been a little scared, because it was my first visit to Japan. On my way on the airplane, I was very anxious about many things. I asked myself various questions. Where am I going now? What is it like to live in Japan? Whenever I thought such things, I became homesick. Two weeks later, however, I was not homesick any more, since I was always feeling at home.

In Japan there are lots of things that I was very surprised at. Apples and pears are very large. (In Fiji we import apples from New Zealand and pears from Australia and they are a little small.) On trains and buses there are kind announcements. Guide blocks are very helpful and the blind never get lost. (In Fiji I often get lost.)

During my stay in Japan, I usually went to Yotsuya Church with volunteers. I made a lot of Japanese friends there. At first I wanted to attend a Mass in English, but after a while I changed my mind. Now I much prefer a Mass in Japanese. I really enjoyed going to the church every Sunday. The Fathers are gentle and very kind.

I also enjoyed studying Japanese for three months. It was hard but exciting. I always wanted to have many assignments from my three teachers; Ms. Satoh, Ms. Osada and Ms. Nagashima, in order to improve my Japanese. So Ms. Satoh and Ms. Nagashima gave me a lot of homework from textbooks. Ms. Osada was also a very nice teacher. Every day we bought a lunch box and had lunch together. On December 7 last year, we held a presentation day and each trainee gave a speech for about 15 minutes on the three months study of Japanese.

In November I took a field trip. On my way back, I fell off from a platform at JR Shibuya station. It was a very dangerous and a little dreadful experience. I hate JR because there always is an opening between a train and a platform. I like subways much better.

Soon after the accident I went skiing from December 25 to 27. At first I felt a little scary and hated skiing very much. When I first started, I was falling over all the time but it didn’t hurt at all because snow was very soft. Snow is just like sand when I touch or walk on. The difference is that snow is soft and cold. I walked down from the top of the mountain several times and at last, I could ski down the slope three times. I didn’t fall over at all then as I skied very well. After all I enjoyed skiing very much. It was the first time for me and was a lot of fun. We skied from ten o’clock in the morning till four o’clock in the afternoon every day. My ski instructor was Ms. Bara who was very kind. However I feel sorry for her because she got very tired when we walked down together from the top of the mountain. At that time I could not ski because I was scared and hated skiing. Ms. Bara really loves skiing.

From December 28 to January 7 this year, I had an opportunity to attend a homestay program and went to Fujisawa. 11days was just the right period of time. My host mother was Noriko Igarashi and host father was Mitsuo Igarashi. I visited many places during my homestay and had a very good time. Of all the Japanese New Year’s events, I like listening to the Japanese traditional folk songs best. The way to celebrate New Year is very different in the two countries. In Fiji, we pray and have a party just like on Christmas Day. Japanese New Year’s Day was very interesting and enjoyable.

I received an individual training from January 9 till May 25. I felt so lonely from February to May, but I did my best. Mr. Hitoshi Iwaya taught me how to massage. At first his explanation was so difficult that I could not understand it at all. Two weeks later, it became easier. The study of massage was very interesting and enjoyable. I took lessons twice a week. Mr. Iwaya was kind. When I go back to Fiji, I would like to work as hard as I can to give a massage. In Fiji there is no massage center at present. If someone gets tired I would like to give a massage on the shoulders.

I also learned about PC. Mr. Yutaka Ide taught me twice a week. His explanation was always easy to understand. Sometimes there were lots of new Japanese words and I got tired, but usually it was enjoyable. I studied very hard to learn the new words. I could install software and send mails by telephone. When I go back, I would like to keep studying and tell people about Japanese PCs.

Another teacher, Ms. Ayako Kudoh taught me walking and sewing. She was gentle and explained using simple words. I practiced walking twice a week but on rainy days I learned sewing instead, which will help me to live on my own. I never got lost in Koyukai because Ms. Kudoh’s Japanese was very easy to understand. I could go to various places.

Before coming back to Tokyo, I said to the people in Koyukai, “I am very glad to have met you all. You taught me a lot about Japanese culture and festivals. I really thank you so much.”

In the end of my individual training, I visited Machida Human Network Center. I heard many stories there and enjoyed myself very much. Soon after the visit, lots of ideas came to my mind. First, I would like to make the same kind of center in Fiji. There is a similar center now in Fiji but it is not for the blind. So I would like to make one myself. It is really difficult but I would like to do my best.

Lastly I would like to write about leadership. To be a leader, we must have our own ideas and control ourselves. We have to be more positive and need more patience. Besides we have to have self-confidence. If we make a mistake, we must have courage to correct it.

This is the end of my report.
Thank you very much.